Power, deceit, and passion. Old enemies, new love, and the future of the entire universe hanging in the balance.

Dria is more than the Ba'Tuan Princess, she's also a highly trained warrior who's been sent to Earth to covertly uncover a plot to destroy the accord between the two species.

Military commander Marcus Vane is scarred and weary. His experience with women has left him afraid of commitment…that is until Dria turns up. Not only is she everything a warrior should be—strong, focused, and honorable—she's also an incredibly beautiful woman.

They must work together to find the Incubi and stop their plans, but one split-second decision changes everything, and now the danger is even more extreme.

Imogene Nix is an author, a wife, and a mother as well as running a bookshop. When she isn’t busy fulfilling those roles, you might find her cooking, juicing fruit, or talking to the chickens in the backyard.

She is supremely interested in all things science fiction, has a secret crush on a space captain, and loves to snuggle up with her dog, Super Pup, when she’s enjoying downtime with a book.

"Turana, we've received an encoded transmission for you. The gentleman is most insistent and is using the Omega code." The captain's face betrayed no concern, but in his eyes, she read a hint of panic.

"Connect me."

His face faded away, replaced by another, harsher visage.

"Forgive me, Turana Dria. My name is Commander Marcus Vane, and I am to be your contact on Earth. I've received some intelligence that the Incubi plan to strike when you arrive."

She leaned forward. "I see, and you know this how?"

No matter how hard she tried, the pounding of her blood pulsed faster as interest flared deep in her belly. Her fingers flexed, and she wished for some physical outlet for the strong emotion that filled her. A hiss escaped between her tight lips, and even that angered her. After so many years of training herself to be calm and controlled in all things, how could she allow even that small sign of impatience and anger to escape?

"We intercepted a transmission showing they are aware of the suggested landing sites and times."

Dria frowned at his words. "And so…"

"I have a suggestion that may allow us to circumvent their plans."

Even as she weighed his words, she scanned his face, noting the full lips and cobalt blue eyes. She told her body not to respond to the unfamiliar pull of fascination, but her physical reaction only grew.

"Tell me." She spoke harshly, and watched the way his mouth thinned at her command. The small bow of his head was the only acknowledgement of subservience.

"Of course, Turana. I propose that we bring you planet-side early. Before they have an opportunity to complete their plans. The airfield is under constant surveillance, which leads me to believe they have inside knowledge of our plans."

"I see." Her short answers and demands sounded almost childish, and she winced inwardly.

"You have read the briefing paper?" His voice cut through her thoughts.

"I… Yes." The tactical briefing she'd received left more questions than it answered and anger flared, white-hot. "Contact the captain with your plan, then have him apprise me of the changes." She kept her response brief while her fingers curled with the urge to reach out and trace the planes of his face. Stupid reaction, Dria. Control yourself!

"Of course, Turana. Do you have any queries?" His voice now was melodious, and a flare of heat warmed her belly.

"No. Send the details. We'll make it work."

"Then I shall leave you…"

"Yes. Good day." The screen darkened, and she rubbed her hands over tired eyes. "Aargh!"

Tugging her hands through her long curls didn't help. Instead, yards of material pooled at her elbows, reminding her of the part she was supposed to play. Squeezing her eyes shut didn't help either. Too many relied on her to save them to get lost in her fears.

Dria squared her shoulders and inhaled a shuddering breath. "I will not fail."

THE SPACESHIP CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER by Ashlynn Monroe

Briz will face death to save a race of strangers, but will her pirate's love be enough to save her?

Briz Julius isn't afraid to break the law to save the lives of strangers. Briz insists she can get an important shipment of medicine between worlds without incident. Her family reluctantly agrees to allow her to make the trip in their oldest, smallest vessel. The decrepit ship doesn't look like much, but that's exactly what she needs to get to her designation without attracting attention.

Matek's family was massacred by the captain of the pirate ship, the Heartless. Becoming one of the crew was easy, but remaining silent while the ruthless villain takes an innocent girl captive isn't. Matek has spent years plotting his revenge. Is he willing to throw away his only chance to avenge everyone he loved in order to save the bold and beautiful stranger?

Content Warning: contains sensual love scenes

ASHLYNN MONROE

Ashlynn Monroe is a busy working mom. She loves her kids and family. Her greatest joy is creating stories to entertain others, and she hopes they bring a little more romance into the world. She’s been writing since her teens, for her own enjoyment, but decided in her thirties to share her imagination with readers. Ashlynn enjoys biking, camping, reading, video games, and filling her home and life with love. If she’s not working or chasing children, you can find her daydreaming up her next tale of romance.

"As much as I'd like to pass her about, I do know her father. He's a good man. Give her a choice," Blood, the captain of the Heartless, said. "She can be yours, or we can turn her in."

"I want to deliver the medicine. It's worthless, except to the people who are sick. Why are you doing this?" she asked in a groggy tone.

"Brizette Julius," Blood said.

The girl flinched. Her eyes widened a bit. "How do you know my name?" She pulled the blanket securely around her. Matek found himself moving closer to her, as if he could somehow shield her with his body.

"Your father saved me once. I owe him, but this is business. There are people who would pay a lot of money to see that this medicine doesn't arrive. I have several willing buyers waiting. The Talorians should have just given up and moved on. They made their choice to stay."

"They're all that's left of their race!"

"Then, sweet Brizette, they should have been cautious about where they chose to settle," Blood said without any hint of remorse.

"Briz, my name is just Briz. I know you think the money is what you want, but can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me the deaths of little children won't haunt your nightmares? You have the chance to save an entire race."

Blood threw his head back and laughed hysterically. His wide smile made him appear ten years younger. When he abruptly stopped laughing and sneered at Briz, she took a step back, bumping into Matek. He put a single hand on her bare shoulder. She didn't shrug his touch away.

"Money is the only thing that matters to me, little girl. Grow up. Men like me and my crew would burn the world for a handful of coins. I'll give you a choice—Matek's claim or I'll turn you over to Indra. Your father's company would never be free to transport here again, but you'll be spared a pirate's touch. When he tires of you he'll cast you off to be our plaything. What fate do you choose, Briz Julius? We all make choices for our beliefs. What do you value more, your honor or your father's company?"

The girl bit her lip. To her credit she didn't flinch or look away from Blood's hateful stare. She didn't beg or cry.

"I choose to protect my father. Who in the name of the gods is Matek?"

"He's the man with his hand on your shoulder."

Briz jerked out of his touch and spun around. Her lips compressed and her brow wrinkled. The others laughed, but he kept his expression neutral, and he didn't look away until she did.

"Take her and tame her. I like mine docile," Blood said before he began a renewed session of laughter.

Matek scooped Briz up in a smooth motion. Her initial stillness spoke of her surprise, but then she began kicking and screaming. He turned and carried her down the corridor. Tanna and Okthu stomped past him and gave the girl dark looks. They'd hurt her as payback if he wasn't cautious.

Matek's throat tightened. When his people claimed a mate it was for life. There was no changing your mind once you made a public declaration of intent. The pirate code was much different, but a claim had still been made. She was his.

HER CLONE by Jaye Shields

When love sparks between enemies, can it survive?

Angela Raden's last mission to planet US-2 nearly got her killed. The savage beating she'd been subjected to made her wish she had died. And now the military wants to send her back. But Angela will be doing things differently this time around. She'll die before she allows the enemy to touch her again.

Damon is a human clone raised for the purpose of killing, but he's seen enough death to last him a lifetime. With revolution taking over his planet, he remains in solitude, seeking peace amidst chaos. When he meets a tiny slip of a human determined to take on an entire clone army, he can't help but follow her. Since he'd been in hiding the woman believes he's human, and upon seeing her hatred of his cloned peers, he keeps the secret in order to remain in her company. But when he follows her into danger, will the truth be revealed?

Jaye Shields is a flight attendant by day and romance author by night. Her addictions include reading, travel, and other activities not even a romance writer will confess to. She’s in a committed love affair with her readers so don’t be shy!

"I always thought that, as clones, they would have been programmed what to think," Angela said. "Until I landed, I never realized they'd be capable of such emotion, like the hate they carried for us. Fury…"

"Lust." Damon's deep voice clipped, the husky quality sounding bitter rather than playful. Perhaps he was angered over her story she'd revealed to him. Although Damon was still a stranger, Angela realized something deeper ran between them.

She glanced over at him as they hiked on. His eyes were set on the landscape before them as if on high alert so they wouldn't encounter unexpected company once more. The intensity of his gaze and his lethal stride left Angela breathless. She shook it off. "I suppose I thought the clones would be more robotic in nature, stoic, like our own armies at home. They're programmed to do as they're told from the very first boot camp."

Angela screamed as Damon snatched her into his arms and dipped her backward. His face hovered a feather's width away from her own. "Never question this—there is no being on any planet that could not be stirred by your presence."

By the time he finished speaking, her lips were all but begging for his kiss. The heat in his gaze promised she wouldn't be disappointed. He kissed her long and slow, her body melting into his arms. His hands kneaded her curves gently, making her moan with desire as he stroked the inside of her mouth with his tongue.

The kiss broke, but instead of releasing her, Damon scooped her up and began carrying her.

Her brows furrowed automatically. "We're on a mission, not a honeymoon, Damon."

"My mission is to keep you out of harm's way. We were nearly spotted earlier, we need to lay low." He carried her toward a steep hill. "We'll hide in plain sight atop that plateau. It's small enough we won't be caught unaware, and we can watch for anyone on the ground."

"We don't have time for a field trip."

"You're wrong." Damon never faltered as he began climbing up the hill with her in his arms. "We have all the time we need, for you won't find what you're looking for. The damage was done long ago."

Angela sucked in a breath, the hurt still burning within her chest. "Aren't you a ray of sunshine?" She watched the hill slowly pass beneath Damon's feet. "I can walk, you know."

"I know." He cast her a sly grin. "I've never had something I've cherished to hold in my arms. Now I'm reluctant to let it go."

Angela raised a brow. "Jungle fever, eh?"

Damon took several long strides and soon they arrived on top of the small plateau. He laid her on the ground, a primal glint in his eyes and a smile on his lips that sent a jolt of electricity through her body. "A fever indeed."

BOND by Beth D. Carter

A woman who has nothing to lose, and a man with everything to gain.

They had known each other a lifetime ago, but love while serving as slaves to the TEV, the aliens who rule Earth, wasn't something that could ever last. When Freya's family escaped, leaving the only home she'd ever known, she left Kory behind, but she can't forget him.

When she meets him again, Kory isn't the human boy she remembered. He has survived a horrific scientific experiment that has changed him into a hybrid—half human, half TEV. Can she trust this man who has now, essentially, become a member of the enemy?

Content Warning: contains sexual content and some violence

BETH D. CARTER

Beth likes writing about the very ordinary girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, so her heroines will probably never be lawyers, doctors, or corporate highrollers. She tries to write characters who aren't cookie cutters and push herself to write complicated situations that she has no idea how to resolve, forcing her to think outside the box. She loves writing characters who are real, complex, and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who find redemption through love.

He completely surprised Freya when he bent his head and kissed her. His firm lips covered hers, teased them apart until his tongue swept in to dance with hers. This wasn't the kiss of a young boy fumbling where to put his hands or how to hold his head. This was the kiss of a man claiming what was his. He took, overwhelming her, laying siege to everything she was. One of his hands cupped her breast, squeezing it through the cotton shirt to flick across the nipple.

She moaned. The sensations were so new, so raw, that he took her breath away. Freya didn't know what to do, so she went with what her body demanded and surged up, undulating her hips and thrusting her pelvis against his. The friction was so heady that she did it again, dry humping against him as a coil tightened deep inside.

He suddenly rolled away, settling next to her.

Freya was thrust into shock, her body still craved his weight, his heat.

"We need to leave," he said, panting slightly.

"What?" Her thoughts were completely discombobulated.

He sat up and wouldn't look at her. "It's a long trek back to the mountain."

"Wait! You just kissed me."

"And you just let me."

They stared at one another and all sorts of recriminations swarmed through her body. How could she kiss an alien? Betray her species? And how could she still crave his touch?

"Why did you stop?" she asked, biting her lip. She hated the fact she was so weak.

"Because you deserve something better than a bed of dirt." He sighed and ran a hand through his mop of dark hair. "Besides, we just found each other again. It's been thirteen years, Freya. We need to learn about each other again, not to mention the fact I want you to believe that Iam Kory."